Here's the Heartwarming Reason This Mom "Lost It" When She Had a Baby Boy

For Dara Crouch, an expectant mom from Columbus, Georgia, keeping her baby’s gender a surprise was something that she and her husband, Eric, had both decided on. Crouch, who works as a labor and delivery nurse, had always loved attending births where the baby’s gender was kept a surprise, because it added a special layer of excitement and surprise to the day. So she decided to do the same for her own birth of the couple’s second baby.

In Crouch’s case, keeping the baby’s gender a surprise added an even extra level of excitement: Her side of the family had not welcomed a baby boy in over 50 years. 50 years! Crouch’s husband was totally convinced that they would be the first to break the streak and have a son, but Crouch wasn’t so convinced. She thought for sure that the new baby would be joining her two-year-old big sister. ”I had this weird connection to my daughter's clothes, and since their birthdays would only be three weeks apart, I knew I could reuse them," she told POPSUGAR.

Mother’s intuition is usually pretty strong, but in this case, Crouch was totally wrong and the family’s no-boys streak was officially broken when she gave birth in April to the first baby boy in 50 years.

"When my midwife, Melissa, held him up, I was in complete shock!" Crouch said of that fateful moment. "It was a boy, and I lost it! I was so excited, and so in love! I couldn't imagine it being any other way!"

Her excitement (and let’s face it, total shock) were captured in a series of heartwarming birth photos by Neely Ker-Fox of Ker-Fox Photography, and they really couldn’t be more perfect. Even a seasoned birth photographer like Ker-Fox, who has witnessed more than 100 births, was swept away in the incredibly emotional moment.

"In my over 100 births I've photographed, I see all kinds of reactions. Some of the most heartwarming, soul stirring, tear-filled moments," she told POPSUGAR. "But when Dara looked over at me, and I captured this reaction knowing the innocent and very real worries we have when our second child comes into the world (boy or girl), I busted into tears behind the camera. All of that anxiety and worry vanished in blink of an eye. And no matter what we have, the love we have for our kids is instantaneous and overwhelms every cell in our bodies."

While some may criticize Crouch for her reaction, it's clear that her smiles and joy are about the fun, unexpected way she and her husband's family is growing. I’ll never forget my husband’s face when we found out that we were having a boy after two daughters. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t have welcomed another little girl, of course, but that he was genuinely surprised and surprised at how our family was going to change in such a big way. It was an exciting change and the look on his face was priceless — it was like he saw his whole life changing before his eyes on that ultrasound screen and we all got to witness it.

And in this case — c'mon — 50 years is a long time, people. This family deserves to celebrate a little. Welcome to to the world, little guy!

Chaunie is a former labor and delivery nurse, a mom of four, and a blogger at Tiny Blue Lines. She thinks pregnancy is amazing, women are strong, and that moms have the best (and most exhausting) job in the world.